It's Ireland's Call

In the wake of France’s 1-1 draw against Serbia on September 9th in Belgrade, a result that unerringly condemned les Bleus to a risky playoff spot, a surprisingly chuffed Raymond Domenech answered journalists questions on the pitch, moments after the final whistle. Taking little heed of the prospect of having to go through a two legged tie which should never have been a consideration for a talented French side, he hailed the 200 friends that sent him an SMS in the days before the game and also his wife for her support, innocently grinning at the camera in front of him, as if to convey his outward satisfaction to the millions of deflated French fans behind the TV. It took him a month to realize the high level of uncertainty that surrounds France’s duty, especially since France drew Ireland, perhaps the most feared of possible opponents on this side of the Channel. Domenech spent no time praising his wife after the draw, hastily escaping the journalists surrounding him at a Lyon training camp and refusing to give his assessment of the Irish side. Later in the afternoon, he finally answered the questions of RTL, a decent radio station for stay-at-home moms whom happen to have an exclusive contract with the French football federation. He heralded that Ireland was as difficult a draw as possible, and that France will face nothing less than an "England 2" side in November, citing the players established in the Premier League. Funnily enough, his statement meant to big up the Irish was translated as exactly the opposite in most Dublin newspapers the next day, Ireland as an "England reserve team", which provoked an outcry that Domenech never wished for, as Ireland now has an extra-motivation coming into the game. Hence, if even Domenech’s communication tactics can be outdone, the Irish underdogs shall certainly believe in their chances next week. Other clinchers can elicit optimism among the Irish troops, notably :

Giovani Trapattoni’s experience

Here’s one selector who is also renowned for his peculiar communication skills and long-winded press conferences, albeit in an entirely different register to Domenech's stonewalling.

Yet the biggest difference between the Milan-born selector and his French counter-part - who only managed France U21 and a second-league Olympique Lyonnais in the early 1990s -, is the former has coached the likes of Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus, and is the only Italian ever to have led Bayern Munich, landing two Scudettos, two Champions Leagues and one German silverware in the process. His experience as a manager is peerless; Domenech still has not won a trophy. This trashy prize list contributes to the French selector failing to impart confidence to his squad, as underscored by Thierry Henry’s private conversation with him at the Clairefontaine training camp two days before the decisive Romania game in early September,where he revealed his team-mates' confusion at "wayward" training sessions in which everything was "conducted randomly" by the French selector. Although this statement was quickly disclaimed, it obviously contained a certain amount of truth as testified the next day by Florent Malouda, left startled not to find his jersey in the locker-room minutes before the kick-off against Romania, having seemingly been told earlier he was picked in the starting 11.

The impact of Domenech's questionable coaching cannot be undermined; in hindsight, it even proved a decisive factor for France during the qualification groups campaign, as it turned out to be the best selector in the group 7 whose team topped the table by the end. Serbia’s Radomir Antić was indeed by all accounts the most experienced selector among all contenders, having coached the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, and his rallying abilities single-handedly enabled Serbia to edge it in a group where Domenech’s France and Romania (led by the inexperienced Victor Piturça and Razvan Luçescu) were seen as favourites. We ought to wish Trapattoni, unlucky thus far at International level with the Italian outfit, that this tendency keeps up and the best manager gets the upper hand next week.

One of the best defensive midfielders in the world in his prime (Pelé himself admitted seldom having been under such tight a grip as when facing Trapattoni), his defensive awareness is what made his name as a manager and what could prove vital against the French, who struggled most in the group stages against teams who set no tempo to the game and sat deep, notably low-key Lithuania and the Feroe Islands, both narrowly defeated away by a one goal leeway.

Robbie Keane’s confidence

The Irish captain is in sparkling form with the national team and Tottenham alike, having scored 5 in both the WC group stages and the Premier League. He is one of the five players (alongside Given, O’Shea, Dunne and Kilbane) who have already faced the French fighting for a World Cup spot back in September 2005 at Lansdowne Road, only to be narrowly defeated by a Thierry Henry second-half curler. Nonetheless, this backbone will be of useful help for the younger team-mates coming in for what will presumably be a tight game, while France on the other hand will only have Grandpas Henry and Gallas to recall the fiery atmosphere emanating from the Irish crowd.

Franck Ribéry’s knee

The French wizard yielded France six vital points in the double encounter with Lithuania in April and has been key to France's performances in the past two years. His absence automatically means one of Thierry Henry or Florent Malouda will occupy the left flank, the former being rather average at it with the French team, the latter well known to John O’Shea, the United full-back who will take charge of either of them. Most of France’s capacity to surprise its opponent vanishes with Ribéry, only to let the usual suspects try and quarrel with Ireland’s back four that conceded one less than the French during the group stages (8 goals to 9). The likes of Karim Benzema and André-Pierre Gignac being currently slightly out of form, France’s best weapon will certainly be Yoann Gourcuff, the Bordeaux attacking midfielder who will have to deal with a big amount of responsibilities on his still fragile shoulders. Ribéry's absence is coupled with Patrick Vieira failing to be called up by Domenech after a magnificent display with Inter Milan against AS Roma upon returning from injury. This has caused an outcry in France and rightly so, as the only other defensive midfielder capable of crossing the halfway line while still getting hold of the ball, the Gunner Abou Diaby, is out injured.

5 + 5 = 10

The number of goals conceded by Hugo Lloris and Steve Mandanda in the epic Lyon-Marseille game last Sunday. According to Domenech, no hierarchy is settled between both goalkeepers as to who will start at Croke Park; they did little to establish one on Sunday, imitating each other's mistakes and making them more and more silly as the game wore on. One should point out at how seldom there had been such an uncertainty in the French outfit as to who will finally step in the shoes of Number 1 goalkeepers following the path of glorious Fabien Barthez and Bernard Lama. Shay Given, on the contrary, need not feeling too anxious about it.

Stade de France’s ignorance

The second leg takes place on French soil, but hardly in what we’d call a welcoming stadium for the French squad. The Stade de France is indeed renowned for its whimsy attendance that jeers its own players whenever they concede a goal, or at half-time if no goal was scored against weaker opposition. The stadium is commonly referred to as the « Footix haven », referencing to the 1998 World Cup mascot, the competition for which the stadium was built in the mid-1990s and during which most of its eventual attendance first met up with football.

The crowd's reputation is well deserved; in France’s last outing against Austria, the Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was enjoying a decent evening when the crowd started shouting « Mandanda, Mandanda ! » for a good two minutes, asking for the reserve goalkeeper to come off the bench after Lloris was deemed responsible for Austria's goal. Akin events are dime a dozen in the Saint-Denis stadium, foremost whipping boys including Karim Benzema and Nicolas Anelka for their unbearable laziness. Such a behaviour from the crowd evidently elicits negative feelings among the French squad, players admitting to feel like playing away fixtures at the Stade de France. Hence, attempting to cool down the relationship between players and fans, Noel le Graet (vice-chairman of the French football federation) relocated the Feroe Islands home game in October to the pint-sized 18,000 seats Roudourou Stadium, home to the low-key Ligue 2 side FC Guingamp, where France dismantled a fairly weak opponent amid a jovial Breton atmosphere. The next day, overzealous newspapers were begging for the impending play-offs to take place at the Roudourou, which would loosely equal to the Irish team playing at Newbridge Town's Station Road.

As eventually the Stade de France got the upper hand, Domenech recalled how in 2004, when Ireland last visited Paris, more than 30,000 Irish fans stood in the stands. The French selector was visibly anxious at a similar scenario unfolding, and issued a statement on RTL saying « it would be useless to play in front of an Irish crowd like the other time, so please French fans, go and buy tickets to prevent the Irish to sweep them all. That would be a first victory. The Britons (sic) are good at reacting quickly, I’m sure they are even already booking tickets on the internet ». Too humble, the French selector didn't mention he is also quite efficient at anticipating, as underlined by his trip to South Africa last March, resulting in the booking of a luxury hotel his team may never disclose.

M6’s ill luck

The folkloric French television channel M6, renowned for its song contests and soap operas, isn’t quite used to broadcasting football games, which didn‘t prevent it from being inexplicably picked to cover the Croke Park game. That represents a good sign for Ireland as the French have never won a game with M6 at the helm. The last time it broadcast the French national team was in the 2008 European Championships, when a nightmare of a game against Italy eliminated les Bleus from a competition they entered as firm favourites. The loss prompted Raymond Domenech to try and convince everyone that the team performed quite well, before proposing his then fiancée for marriage, minutes after the final whistle following a truly disastrous performance. It was perhaps one of the most staggering on-pitch interviews of all time, conducted in front of flabbergast commentators that include Chelsea legend Franck Leboeuf, whose golden analysis of the game, coupled with potential comedy moments from Domenech during the post-match interview, might at least alleviate the French fans’ sorrow in case of a potential upset.

The bottom line is Ireland can believe in its chances to upset France in next week's play-offs, as Domenech's side lacks the stability and confidence implemented by Trapattoni in a united, solid, eerie Irish side. Here's to Trapattoni !

Gignac slightly out of form, I would say he's getting it together in the last few matches and besides his form for France is completely different.About Viera not getting called up, Domenech did the right thing, it hasn't caused an outcry here but more like in Italy

Read something in the Metro this morning about Domenech and his players going to a tennis game. Apparently the crowd were booing him when his face showed up on the big screen, Domenech responded with a wave to the crowd. Henry and co. were laughing by all accounts. Seems like there is more of a bond now between the players and coach, is this true Kouroux?

Read something in the Metro this morning about Domenech and his players going to a tennis game. Apparently the crowd were booing him when his face showed up on the big screen, Domenech responded with a wave to the crowd. Henry and co. were laughing by all accounts. Seems like there is more of a bond now between the players and coach, is this true Kouroux?

Narnar, what do you think will be the result between N. Ireland and Serbia on Saturday? We will be playing this one without a couple of key players, nonetheless we should still put out a good enough team.

Narnar, what do you think will be the result between N. Ireland and Serbia on Saturday? We will be playing this one without a couple of key players, nonetheless we should still put out a good enough team.

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who's pulled out? i can't be certain as i have absolutely no idea about serbia, are they any good?

And yet none cover the match in such detail, or whet the appetite in the same way. And of course this is a blog article which automatically generates a new thread

Domenech comes across as a complete tool. But he must have something about himself to still be employed as national team coach! Seemingly nothing that has anything to do with football though. The French are in a downward spiral, and I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if Ireland won this tie. They held a better Italian side to home and away draws, I think the key is getting a lead to take out to France

And yet none cover the match in such detail, or whet the appetite in the same way. And of course this is a blog article which automatically generates a new thread
Domenech comes across as a complete tool. But he must have something about himself to still be employed as national team coach! Seemingly nothing that has anything to do with football though. The French are in a downward spiral, and I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if Ireland won this tie. They held a better Italian side to home and away draws, I think the key is getting a lead to take out to France

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Ah I see. Didnt kop that.

Im of the opinion that keeping the French scoreless in Croke Park is key. If Ireland can go to Paris with the score at 0-0, Frustrate them for 20mins in the away leg and the French fans will do the usual turn their back on them. We should have beaten them the last time, JOS had a great chance to win it for us.

Im still extremely pissed of with Trap and his double standards with Andy Reid. To call up Liam Miller is a shocking decision.

Whatever happens the atmosphere on Sat. is going to be fecking immense. Promises to a great occasion and we are due a bit of luck in a play off.
Ive my ticket already and now probably the option of getting a few pints in at half time by blagging into a box 2 of the lads will be in. Cant wait

Irish football fans are facing a television black-out amid a row over the rights for the Republic of Ireland's World Cup showdown with France.

Broadcasters RTE and Sky Sports remain in discussions with the French Football Federation and their TV partners TF1 over the second leg in Paris next Wednesday evening.

But they have as yet been unable to strike a deal, and if that remains the case, Giovanni Trapattoni's men could walk out at the Stade de France with millions at home in the dark as they attempt to secure their passage to South Africa next summer.

Reports in Ireland have suggested that the FFF is asking for 1.5million euros for the rights after the Football Association of Ireland handed the home leg to the highest bidder, independent channel M6, for around 4.5million euros.

Irish football fans are facing a television black-out amid a row over the rights for the Republic of Ireland's World Cup showdown with France.

Broadcasters RTE and Sky Sports remain in discussions with the French Football Federation and their TV partners TF1 over the second leg in Paris next Wednesday evening.

But they have as yet been unable to strike a deal, and if that remains the case, Giovanni Trapattoni's men could walk out at the Stade de France with millions at home in the dark as they attempt to secure their passage to South Africa next summer.

Reports in Ireland have suggested that the FFF is asking for 1.5million euros for the rights after the Football Association of Ireland handed the home leg to the highest bidder, independent channel M6, for around 4.5million euros.

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That's not entirely true as M6 landed the match when the other channel TF1 wasn't really focused (internal beef) and took its chance to put a bid which was accepted by the Ireland FA, they paid less money on it than TF1 usually does for matches played abroad

The French are no shrinking violets but, despite their favourites tag, the Republic of Ireland have the character and professionalism to produce a valiant performance, writes BRIAN KERR

IN THE build-up to Saturday’s fixture I have been surprised by the number of articles suggesting a lack of spirit or sense of purpose within the French squad. Raymond Domenech, as usual, is the main focus of these supposed problems.

Having studied all their group games and friendlies up to their recent encounters with the Faroe Islands, I can see little evidence to support such critical comment.

On the contrary, the manner in which the French rescued seemingly lost points and dominated opponents makes it very hard to see past their progression to South Africa next summer. Results and performances may have suggested inconsistency in a group won by Serbia, who were four points clear of France at the finish, but closer scrutiny convinced me that France were the outstanding team in the group.

They have been unlucky at times.

They found it difficult to recover from the loss of five points in the first two away fixtures, when their deficiencies were exposed in Austria’s 3-1 win and the 2-2 draw in Romania. Yet it was the manner in which they extracted a point in Bucharest, along with the point gained in Serbia late in the group, that impressed me most and led me to dismiss any suggestions of a lack of desire.

No, the French still play for each other.

Having gone 2-0 down in the first 17 minutes against Romania, they totally dominated the game thereafter with wonderful, aggressive attacking play and were rewarded with beautiful goals from Franck Ribery and Yoann Gourcuff of Bordeaux, while just failing to grab a winner.

France started disastrously in Belgrade when a misunderstanding between the centre backs and goalkeeper led to a penalty, a red card for Hugo Lloris and a goal after just 13 minutes. Despite losing their goalkeeper, they created numerous chances and the 1-1 draw proved a poor return for such a brilliant display of controlled football. They had 71 per cent of possession.

Their performances in these circumstances displayed courage and passion combined with skill and technique that demands respect. If the morale was truly approaching rock bottom they would not have recovered in these matches.

On the other hand, the fact they scored eight goals in their last two games should be taken lightly, as the gulf in class allowed them to play 4-2-4 against the Faroes and against Austria when the group was already decided.

There are plenty of familiar faces from the 2005 French version that visited Dublin. Patrick Vieira, Zinedine Zidane, Claude Makelele, Robert Pires (who featured in Paris in 2004) and David Trezeguet are no longer around, but the replacements have proved more than adequate. Lassana Diarra, Jérémy Toulalan, André-Pierre Gignac, Gourcuff and the prodigal Nicolas Anelka can prove just as effective as the previous lot.

The style hasn’t changed much either, although their shape has been altered. There has been much talk about the threat posed by Karim Benzema and the loss of Ribery to injury. The reality is neither were likely starters in Dublin.

Henry to the left, Gignac through the middle and Anelka on the right with Gourcuff – much like Alessandro Pirlo’s role in Croke Park – behind them is Domenech’s best attack. We will see them all on Saturday night.

Gourcuff is a young, tall, well-balanced attacker who finds space easily, has fierce shooting ability and is good in the air.

Another new face, Gignac is a favourite of Domenech, and while he is a strong, traditional-style centre forward, who will work hard and chase down lost causes, in my opinion he and Benezema lack the touch and tight control to be a consistent threat.

However, that will be covered by the combination play and movement of Gourcuff, Henry and Anelka, which will test the organisation and concentration levels of the Irish defending to the very limit.

Behind Gourcuff in central midfield will be Diarra, outstanding for Real Madrid recently, and Toulalan of Lyon, who as a pair direct and control the play while attempting to protect the vulnerable centre-back pairing. They rarely move into advanced positions, with the support to the attacking three-plus-one unit coming from the full backs. Manchester United’s Patrice Evra on the left and Bacary Sagna on the right are like extra wingers when the mood takes them. Hence the French formation has looked almost crazily like a 2-2-6 at times.

And not just against the Faroe Islands mind. This was evident it all games when they were piling on pressure with their passing game.

Domenech’s respect for Ireland, but mainly the prize at stake, should ensure a more conservative approach, as we saw the last time at Lansdowne Road. October 2005 was as cagey a game as I have seen for a long time. Yet, in full flight, French attacking flare could have the Irish defence and midfield reeling at times.

Just as the threat from their attacking unit is profound, it is equally a weakness that should give the Irish hope. The French are almost reckless in their attacking style away from home. The desire of Evra and Sagna to be involved, combined with the reluctance of Anelka and Henry to help out defensively down the flanks, can provide the Republic’s front line opportunities to counter quickly through Lawrence, Duff, McGeady or Hunt – in whatever combination Trap decides upon.

The main French weakness has been at centre back, allied to some recent dodgy goalkeeping. Even in the Faroes the William Gallas-Julien Escude combination lacked decisiveness when under pressure.

I feel Kevin Doyle and Robbie Keane will have opportunities to exploit the few defensive lapses, which, along with set-pieces (a consistent French problem), remain Ireland’s best weapons. Ireland’s game plan must deal with the dual threat of Evra, Henry on the left and Sagna, Anelka on the right. Equally, the holding two of Keith Andrews and Glenn Whelan must disrupt their midfield triangle.

These are tricky tactical conundrums made tougher by the individual pace and skills of a powerful team. France are also capable of changing shape to 4-4-2 or 4-2-4 as the situation demands with the possible introduction of Florent Malouda, Benzema or Sidney Govou. Two fascinating tactical contests lie ahead, both on and off the pitch, where the work of Trapattoni and Domenech will be forensically examined.

My close inspections of the French recently leave me convinced they are clear favourites, but having worked with so many of the current Irish players, either as youths or in the senior squad (Stephen Hunt and Liam Lawrence the only two excluded), I am certain their character and professionalism will see them produce a valiant performance.

Now all we need is the luck that evaded us the last time we tangled with Les Bleus.

Im of the opinion that keeping the French scoreless in Croke Park is key. If Ireland can go to Paris with the score at 0-0, Frustrate them for 20mins in the away leg and the French fans will do the usual turn their back on them. We should have beaten them the last time, JOS had a great chance to win it for us.

Im still extremely pissed of with Trap and his double standards with Andy Reid. To call up Liam Miller is a shocking decision.

Whatever happens the atmosphere on Sat. is going to be fecking immense. Promises to a great occasion and we are due a bit of luck in a play off.
Ive my ticket already and now probably the option of getting a few pints in at half time by blagging into a box 2 of the lads will be in. Cant wait

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Pink for pansy!

Cant believe that either, but this Andy Reid debate needs to be put to bed til after the play-offs. If we get through then Trap will be the genius, if not then the Irish world is gonna get on his back - especially Dunphy, the RTE & Dublin Media Mafia!

Personally, its the managers decision who he picks for the squad & who he plays in the team. He's gotten us this far & compared to the mess that Stevie "pass the ball" Staunton left the football Country in - Trappatoni, Tardelli & Liam Brady have performed a minor miracle in the turnaround & the best part of all is that National & International respect for the Boys in Green has been restored!

We might not be pretty but quite steadily we're close to feeling confident again of singing this sadly forgotten song:

Its going to be on Skysports which means we should get some good coverage.

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I pished myself when I read that he didnt know you were Serbian but the part about you being from Norn Iron =

Sorry NarNar, but thats some funny shit mucker as Vuc has been quite vocal in his Serbianess & Eastern European roots - all day everyday aswell - the fecker never shuts up about it. He's nearly as bad as us Irish lads on here

Irish football fans are facing a television black-out amid a row over the rights for the Republic of Ireland's World Cup showdown with France.

Broadcasters RTE and Sky Sports remain in discussions with the French Football Federation and their TV partners TF1 over the second leg in Paris next Wednesday evening.

But they have as yet been unable to strike a deal, and if that remains the case, Giovanni Trapattoni's men could walk out at the Stade de France with millions at home in the dark as they attempt to secure their passage to South Africa next summer.

Reports in Ireland have suggested that the FFF is asking for 1.5million euros for the rights after the Football Association of Ireland handed the home leg to the highest bidder, independent channel M6, for around 4.5million euros.

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So what's this saying? That it won't be on RTÉ but will be on Sky or it won't be on either?

I pished myself when I read that he didnt know you were Serbian but the part about you being from Norn Iron =

Sorry NarNar, but thats some funny shit mucker as Vuc has been quite vocal in his Serbianess & Eastern European roots - all day everyday aswell - the fecker never shuts up about it. He's nearly as bad as us Irish lads on here

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Bit harsh mate, all day, every day? I think that because we are a minority on here and I am vocal in my views I will always be labelled like that, but I barely ever bang on about being a Serb, only in reference to our players/teams/fans..

No one questions the other nationalities on the board but I always get it.. Double Standards.

Jérémy Toulalan could be out for the first time in a year, giving Alou Diarra a chance to make the defensive midfield a bit more attacking.

Anelka could be displayed on the right and Henry on the left, France's two best forwards on the wings, however I feel Anelka is wasted there and merely makes up for the absence of traditional right wingers in France at the moment; Henry is pretty ineffective on the left wing with the French outfit.

Jérémy Toulalan could be out for the first time in a year, giving Alou Diarra a chance to make the defensive midfield a bit more attacking.

Anelka could be displayed on the right and Henry on the left, France's two best forwards on the wings, however I feel Anelka is wasted there and merely makes up for the absence of traditional right wingers in France at the moment; Henry is pretty ineffective on the left wing with the French outfit.

Gourcuff is ought to be the key player in this line-up.

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Henry and Anelka do not play like wingers though, Henry it makes a bit sense since it's his position for Barca and for Anelka I would have preferred to start someone like Govou on the right and give him the striker role.
Other than that it looks really good

Bit harsh mate, all day, every day? I think that because we are a minority on here and I am vocal in my views I will always be labelled like that, but I barely ever bang on about being a Serb, only in reference to our players/teams/fans..

No one questions the other nationalities on the board but I always get it.. Double Standards.

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Jesus man, I was only joking - sorry. Did you not see the

Of course you dont keep goin on about being a Serb. Humble apologies big son